by Amanda Formaro

When the kids get home from school, make some of these fun and inexpensive crafts! Not ready to spend a fortune on supplies? We've come up with some fun projects you can make with recycled materials from around the house. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Milk Jug Bird Feeders
Rinse out an empty plastic gallon milk jug with lid. Cut a window in the front of the jug, and make two small poke holes for the perches. Insert pencils for perches and fill the bottom of the jug with bird seed.

Juice Carton Crayon Box
Wash and dry an empty cardboard juice carton and cut off the top. Using bits and pieces of masking tape, have the children tape up the entire carton, covering all sides, the more tape the better. Use crayons to color the masking tape box. The tape makes the box sturdier and will make a great crayon holder for their desk or dresser.

Aluminum Can Crafts
Paint an empty and rinsed out tuna can with spray or acrylic paint. Decorate with glitter and glue, pom poms, buttons, lace, or stickers. These make cute holders for barrettes, pony tail holders, paper clips, rubber bands, keys, jewelry, or other small items. Using the same ideas, paint a soup or vegetable can to make a pen or pencil holder.

Coffee Can Wish Bank
Have the kids cut pictures from old magazines or draw pictures of something they want. Decorate the cans with glitter, the pictures, stickers or anything else you have around. Cut a hole in the plastic top of the can for the kids to deposit money. Each time they add money to the can, they are contributing a little bit more to the "wish" item. A great way to teach kids to save money!

Coffee Can Stilts
Using two 1-pound coffee cans, turn each can upside down so that the plastic lid is on the bottom. Using a screwdriver, poke two holes, one on each side of the can. Using several strands of yarn braided or twisted together, or some rope, thread through holes in cans. Tie off inside the can. Cans can be decorated if you like.

Jar Candles
Save the stubs of candles. When you have several saved, melt them together in a double boiler. Color the wax by adding bits of crayon to the mixture. Pour the wax into glass jelly or mason jars or metal cans. Use cotton yarn for wicks, or you can purchase a roll of wick at a craft store. Decorate the outside of the candle holder with acrylic paints.

Magazine House
Using an old catalog or magazine, cut out pictures of chairs, tables, curtains, bathroom
fixtures and other furnishings. Spread out a newspaper or large sheet of drawing paper. Sketch an "open sided" house. Have children place the pictures of the furnishings in the rooms of their choice. They can cut out more pictures to redecorate their house, cut out pictures of people, toys, pets, anything they like!

Alphabet Catalog Collage
Using old toy, clothing, and plant catalogs, have the kids cut out colorful pictures that begin with a specific letter of the alphabet. Assign different letters to each child. Have them glue the pictures onto a piece of construction paper. Discuss the pictures afterward.

Paper Towel Rain Makers
Young kids love noise makers. Color, paint, and decorate paper towel rolls. Cover one end of a paper towel roll with waxed paper and close it off with a rubber band. Pour a handful or two of dried beans (split peas work well) in the open end, close open end the same as the other. Poke toothpicks through the rolls at different intervals to add a "rain shaker" sound.

Paper Towel Tube Holders
Decorate a paper towel tube with paint, markers, glitter, stickers, construction paper and crayons. This becomes a colorful carrying tube. Roll their pictures up and put inside to take to their teacher, grandparents, friends, or relatives. Some special pictures could be for their Grandparents, a special aunt or uncle, or even for a brother or sister.

Paper Plate Holders
Using two paper plates, cut one plate in half and place on top of the other plate (turn the half plate to form a pocket over the whole plate). Use a paper punch to make holes going around the outside of the plate. Use scraps of yarn and "sew" through the holes of the plate. Start and end at the top of the plate so that it can be extended about six inches and tied. Have your children color, paint or decorate their plates. Now they have their very own place to put prized possessions, notes from Mom and dad, special pictures and more.

Paper Plate Aquarium
Color an underwater scene on the "eating" side of a paper plate. Glue goldfish crackers to the scene, a couple pieces of plastic plant for seaweed, and using glue and a little sand or soft dirt, make the sea floor. Using a second paper plate, cut a circle in the middle. Cut a circle of blue plastic wrap 1 inch in diameter larger than your hole in the plate. On the "eating" side of this plate, glue the blue plastic wrap so that it covers and overlaps the hole on the plate. Glue or staple both plates together with "eating" side toward the inside. Punch a hole in the top and string a piece of yarn through the hole to hang your aquarium from the ceiling.

Treasure Shoe Box
Decorate an old shoe box and lid with construction paper, markers, paint, glue and glitter, crayons, googly eyes, stickers, lace, doilies, or whatever else you can find. Be sure to put the child's name inside the lid. This box make a great box for treasures found out in the yard, on the way home from school, or anywhere else your children "hunt".

Shadowboxes
Pain the inside of a shoebox with black or dark blue poster or acrylic paint. Alternatively, you can glue black construction paper inside the box. Using white crayons or stickers, make a night scene with stars and the moon on the black background. Get creative, use small plastic toys to create a scene inside your shadowbox, or make your own with construction paper and glue. Cut out small pictures from coloring books and color and adhere to your scene. Hang a spaceship or shooting star with a piece of string and glue.

Cartoon Strip
make your very own cartoon adventure with crayons and a pad of paper. At the bottom of a pad, on each sheet, draw a figure (i.e., a dog). The first frame will be on the first page, second frame on the second page, and so on. Change the movement with each page. When you are finished, fan the pages with your thumb to see the show!

Create a Story
If you have several children together, this can be great fun. Give each child two or three pieces of paper. Have them each drawer a picture and write a sentence. When finished, see if they can put it together to form a story. New pages can be created as you go along. A book cover can be made from two pieces of construction paper, a hole punch, and yarn.

Number Fun
Pick a number from one to ten. Write it on a piece of paper. Ask the children to draw sets of things in that number. If the child get number four, have them draw four apples, four trees, four dogs, and so on. Have them color their pictures with crayons and markers.

Animal Jumble
Using construction or white paper, ask each child to drawn a different body part of an animal, but to have their animal be a secret. For example, have one child draw the head, another draw the tail, another the legs and so on. let the children pick the animal they want to draw. When they are done have then put the animal together with tape or glue. Have fun coming up with a name for the animal (monk-dog-lion-potamus).

Pet Rocks
Find smooth, flat or round rocks. Be sure to clean off any dirt or sand and dry completely before starting. Paint with acrylic paints. Decorate faces by using google eyes, yarn for hair, markers, glitter, and any other tidbits you like.

Bookmarks
Great for back to school or as a gift to someone you love. Make fun bookmarks with construction paper, markers, paints, and stickers. You can also use glitter, sequins, lace, doilies, buttons, and any other little bric-a-brac you have laying about. Cut strips from construction paper, painting the construction paper will make it sturdier, or you can visit the local library or office supply to have them laminated for longer lasting use. To complete the bookmark, attach a tassle make from strands of yarn.

Amanda Formaro is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. While Amanda's professional background was originally in finance, she chose to stay home to raise her family after her third child was born. Amanda enjoys tole painting, crafting with her kids, walking her dogs and working on her website FamilyCorner.com Magazine

"This site started as a small personal website and has grown way beyond what I had ever imagined! It is such a passion for me. I love it when someone writes to me and tells me how much they enjoyed their visit." Amanda Formaro may be contacted at http://www.familycorner.com or webmom@familycorner.com

My kids love crafts, so I'm always on the lookout for something fun to make.  When it's wrapped up with Christianity all the better!  Take a look at this article I found about Christian Music for kids.  It includes two crafts to do with your children. Christian Kids Music Extravaganza: Fun with Musical Craftsby Ameerah Lewis All kids love music. That is why Christian kid's music is so important. It allows your children to praise God in a way that comes naturally to them. One of the most important parts of a Christian's walk with God is the time they spend in His presence. For many of us, the first time that we ever felt the presence of God was while we were coming before Him in worship. Doing praise and worship with your kids allows them to feel God's Spirit, even at a young age. It also teaches them that praising God isn't just something we do on Sunday, but all week long! The key to sharing your love for praising God with your children is to keep it fun! Your kids will grow to love spending time with God, instead of thinking of it as a religious obligation or, worse, resenting it. A great way to add extra FUN into your kid's praise time, is to let them make a few musical instruments of their own. Musical crafts are tons of fun, and they are something that you can do together as a family. If you have more than one small child, have each one make a different instrument. Then, you'll have your very own Christian Praise Band! Let The Praise Party Begin! Here are two Christian kid's music crafts that you and your children will enjoy. Turn an Oatmeal box into a Praise Drum! Here is What You'll Need: * For decorating: markers, crayons, glitter or finger paints * An empty oatmeal box or coffee can (one with a plastic lid) * A glue stick * Colored construction paper 1. Take out a piece of construction paper, and let your child draw pictures that remind them of God's love and glory. 2. Help them put glue on the back of their picture, and secure it around the outside of their can to decorate their drum. 3. Then, they put the lid back on their can. The lid is what makes their Praise Drum sound like a real drum. Now that their praise drum is finished, your child can use it in many ways. They can beat it with their hands. Use 2 rulers as their drum sticks, or even bang on it with wooden spoons. Either way, it will let your kids make a joyful noise to the Lord! Turn an Empty Roll of Paper Towels Into a Praise Banner! Here is What You'll Need: * Colored construction paper * Markers, crayons, glitter or finger paints for decorating * An empty roll of paper towels * A single hole punch * A glue stick * 10 Ribbons 1. Take out a piece of construction paper, and let your child draw pictures that remind them of God's love and glory. 2. Then, help them glue their construction paper around their paper towel roll to decorate their banner's handle. The construction paper will overlap some. 3. Using a single hole punch, make 10 holes around the rim of the paper towel roll. 4. Take their first ribbon, and thread it through one of the holes, pulling it through until both sides are about the same length. 5. Make a knot in the ribbon to secure it to the roll. Then let your child try to duplicate what you did with the other 9 ribbons. And, now you have a beautiful praise banner. As you play Christian kid's music, let your child run around and wave their banner in praise to God! Your homemade praise drum and banner are great additions to any child's praise and worship time. They make worshiping the Lord fun. Take the time to do this children's Bible activity with your child today, and invest in their spiritual future! Ameerah Lewis provides free Family Bible study online resources that help parents instill the love of God into their children. For step by step illustrations on how to make even more Christian kids music crafts, and to print tons of free kid's activities, visit her free Children's Bible activities page today! Ameerah Lewis may be contacted at http://www.hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org

Kids love to play with pasta! Who knew something so simple and inexpensive could be so interesting to young children. Dried pasta comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. If you don't already have some in your kitchen cupboard, you can find a variety of different pastas to choose from in the bulk section of your grocery store. Let your child go with you to pick it out. Pasta can be used for a variety of craft projects, and it is very easy to dye. It takes only a few minutes to dye the pasta, and a couple of hours for it to dry. To dye the pasta all you need is: - Pasta in different shapes and sizes - Food coloring - Rubbing alcohol - Several small bowls Pour approximately 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol into each bowl. Add 10 or so drops of food coloring into each bowl, one bowl for each color. Drop the pasta into the bowl and stir gently with a spoon for a few seconds. Remove the pasta from the bowl and allow to dry for several hours on a paper plate. The colors will brighten as the pasta dries. Your kids will enjoy playing with their colorful pasta. They can use it to create macaroni necklaces or they can glue pieces of pasta onto a sheet of paper for a creative work of art. Children as young as two years old will enjoy counting and sorting the pasta into different piles. Have them separate the pasta by color or shape. They will have fun moving the pieces of pasta from bowl to bowl. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.